Indians freeze fighter design
Project, definition for India s
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)
has been completed, and its
design has been frozen. The
programme director, Dr K.
Harinarayana, has denied that
the Rs20,000 million devel
opment project is behind sched
ule, claiming that the first
prototype would fly in 1992,
and that the aircraft would go
into production in 1995.
Dr Harinarayana is confident
that India will be able to
produce all the components and
EFAra
Eurofighter says that it hopes to
make its final decision on the
European Fighter Aircraft radar
"within the next several
weeks". The choice lies
between the Ferranti-led Euro-
radar consortium's all-new
ECR-90 and the MSD-2000
derivative of the US Hughes
APG-65, proposed by an AEG-
led consortium.
Deputy general manager
of the Nato European
Fighter Management Agency
(NEFMA), West German Air
Force Gen A. Schlieper, says:
"Eurofighter is responsible for
selecting the radar as a Class A
equipment under the terms of
subsystems itself. "We might go
in for some external assistance
for the composite material for
the wings and the digital fly-by-
wire systems," he says.
According to Dr Harinara
yana, carbonfibre composites
and lightweight aluminium-
lithium alloy will be used in the
LCA. He discounted LCA
pictures which have recently
appeared in the media, but indi
cated that the aircraft will be a
delta rather than a delta-canard
configuration, as used for the
their contract. I can wait. It is
Eurofighter who cannot wait.
"It is not a cost-plus contract.
It costs them money if they
delay it. The risk and
responsibility are theirs," Gen
Schlieper argues. As the radars
are different, the necessary
timescales may be quite dif
ferent, as could be the end
performances and prices. I can
only hope they come to a
conclusion as soon as possible.
We will then have eight weeks
for the nations to decide."
It appears that the UK prefers
the ECR-90 and West Germany
the MSD-2000, with Spain
tending towards the West
Swedish JAS39 multirole
fighter.
Discussions are already under
way with the Raman Research
Institute and Bharat Electronics
for the production of liquid-
crystal cockpit displays. A ring-
laser gyro inertial navigation
system will be used.
Although the LCA has been
designed as a multirole next-
generation fighter, its prime
mission is offensive air support.
Meanwhile, India's prototype
Advanced Light Combat heli-
Turkey se
Turkey has selected Loral
Rapport III electronic counter-
measures systems for its
General Dynamics F-16
fighters. Rapport III fought off
strong competition from
Marconi Defence System's Zeus
and Westinghouse's ALQ-165
airborne self-protection jammer
for the estimated $350 million
contract. "We have been
selected," Loral Electronics
tells Flight. "We are still nego
tiating. A contract has still to be
signed". Undersecretary to the
Turkish Ministry of Defence, Lt
Gen Hayri Undul, confirms that
the Loral bid has been accepted.
For some time Rapport III has
been considered as the most-
developed system.
The systems will be installed
in 160 F-16s to be purchased by
Turkey in a $4 billion deal. To
date 14 F-16s have been manu
factured at the Murted airbase
German choice while Italy is
closer to the UK position.
The radar choice will be
made by EFA management
company Eurofighter, and is
said to involve three main steps.
First, both radars must comply
with the specification, second is
cost, and third is growth poten
tial. If both radars are of equal
performance, therefore, then
the cheaper would be selected,
and if both are of the same
price, then future potential will
be the driver.
The UK Government is
understood to be cautious about
the US technology transfer
requested for the MSD-2000. At
copter is expected to fly during
1989. MBB has been collabo
rating with Hindustan Aero
nautics on development of the
4/5-tonne helicopter.
The main transmission, main
rotor head, swashplate with
rotor control, and hydraulic
servo unit will be produced as
an integrated dynamic system
by MBB and West German firm
Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen
(ZF). This is currently being
prepared and mounted at the
HAL factory at Bangalore.
ects Loral
outside Ankara and delivered to
the Turkish Air Force. Lt Gen
Undul says that this is two
aircraft ahead of the pro
gramme's production schedule.
Eight other F-16s have already
been delivered direct from the
USA. Eventually, the F-16s will
replace the Turkish Air Force's
Lockheed F-104 Starfighters.
The Turkish contract comes
as a welcome boost to Loral's
fortunes. In December last year
Israel's Defence Minister forced
the Air Force to reverse its deci
sion to buy Loral ALQ-178 elec
tronic countermeasures systems
for 60 new F-16Cs. The IAF
will now equip the bulk of these
aircraft with an Elisra system.
• Loral has been selected by the
US Air Force to integrate its
ALR-56M radar warning
receiver into the Rockwell B-1B
ALQ-161 defensive avonics
suite.
55
present there is no restriction,
but US Administrations, and
their rules, change, the UK
argues. West Germany favours
the MSD-2000 mainly because,
as an APG-65 derivative, it will
have commonality with radars
fitted to updated Luftwaffe's
F-4 Phantoms.
There are some doubts in
West Germany about the
economic viability of updating
the F-4s, however. The upgrade
programme made sense before
EFA was certain, but now that
the European fighter will be
available from the mid-1990s,
the expensive F-4 update might
not be needed, critics argue.
McDonnell Douglas tests Minipac
McDonnell Douglas has completed a ground-level, 363kt test of its Minipac
II ejection seat from.a rocket sled at Hurricane Mesa, Utah. Minipac II is a
Jightweight seat designed for small, lower-speed trainers and combat aircraft
at about half the weight and cost of the Aces II seat which MDC makes for
high performance aircraft.
dar within wee]
FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 21 January 1989 13